Lionsgate handed its film and television library to the AI video company Runway in September 2024. The studio's catalog runs past 20,000 titles, the Twilight and John Wick franchises among them. It became training data under the first deal of its kind between a major studio and an AI model maker1.
Warner Music took a slower road. It sued the AI music generator Suno for copyright infringement. A licensing deal followed the settlement, fourteen months later10.
Hollywood and the music business picked deals over courtrooms, mostly. Five licensing deals have landed since Lionsgate's. Three promise performers a cut of the money. Every one skips the percentage.
Movies License Voices and Catalogs
Lucasfilm moved first, and quietly. James Earl Jones signed over the rights to his archival voice recordings in 2022. The AI company Respeecher used them to rebuild Darth Vader's voice for the Disney+ series "Obi-Wan Kenobi"3.
Jones retired from the role at 91. He died at 93 on Sept. 9, 2024, two years after the agreement4.
The voice business kept moving after Jones. ElevenLabs opened an "Iconic Voice Marketplace" on Nov. 12, 2025, launching with 28 voices, living and historical, including the actor Michael Caine's5. The company promised to "connect directly with rights holders to set terms" and "ensure fair pay and transparency." It kept the rate card private.
Lionsgate deepened its own bet this year. On June 11, 2026, the studio took an equity stake in Runway. The two launched a joint program to develop new shows from Lionsgate's catalog2. "Runway is a great creative partner, an exciting part of our AI strategy and a valuable driver in expanding our storytelling capabilities," said Michael Burns, Lionsgate's vice chairman.
Both announcements skip a dollar figure for the performers whose past work trained the model. The deal runs studio to studio, outside any actor's contract.
An AI "actress" tested that gap from the other direction. The studio Xicoia unveiled Tilly Norwood at the Zurich Film Festival in September 2025, and talent agents began circling the character for representation6. SAG-AFTRA answered on Oct. 1, 2025. "SAG-AFTRA believes creativity is, and should remain, human-centered," the union said.
"The union is opposed to the replacement of human performers by synthetics," it added. Xicoia's founder, Eline van der Velden, wrote back that she sees "AI not as a replacement for people, but as a new tool, a new paintbrush."
Studios Still Sue the Image Generators
Lawsuits run alongside the licensing deals. Disney and Universal sued the image generator Midjourney on June 11, 2025, calling its service a source of infringing copies of their characters7. Warner Bros. Discovery filed its own Midjourney suit that September, and a court folded the two cases together.
The same three studios went after a second target on Sept. 16, 2025, filing in the Central District of California against the Chinese AI company MiniMax. They seek as much as $150,000 for each work it copied7.
Both cases remain active. Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery kept both suits in court, apart from the licensing path Lionsgate chose with Runway.
Music Settles, Except for One Label
Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment sued Suno and Udio together in 2024. By the end of 2025, two of the three had settled.
UMG settled first, with Udio, on Oct. 29, 2025. "These new agreements with Udio demonstrate our commitment to do what's right by our artists and songwriters," said UMG's chairman and chief executive, Lucian Grainge8.
Warner settled with Udio three weeks later, on Nov. 19, 2025, then with Suno on Nov. 25910. Sony alone stayed in court against both companies. Universal and Sony amended their complaint against Suno in Massachusetts federal court on May 21, 2026, naming 61,026 recordings. That put Suno's exposure above $9 billion at the standard statutory rate11.
Studios and Labels Signed 5 AI Deals and Faced 4 Disputes Since 2024
Licensing deals and lawsuits or union campaigns over AI movies and music, September 2024 to October 2026
Each pin is one dated event from this piece. Blue pins are licensing deals; magenta pins are lawsuits or a union campaign pushing back on them.
Sources: Lionsgate Investor Relations [1]; Runway [2]; CoinGeek [7]; Universal Music Group [8]; TechCrunch [9]; Warner Music Group [10]; Resident Advisor [12]; Hypebot [13]. Chart by Ryan Elliott Dennis.
The numbers behind this chart
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sept. 18, 2024 | Lionsgate-Runway deal |
| June 11, 2025 | Studios sue Midjourney |
| Sept. 16, 2025 | Studios sue MiniMax |
| Oct. 29, 2025 | UMG settles with Udio |
| Nov. 19, 2025 | Warner settles with Udio |
| Nov. 25, 2025 | Warner licenses Suno |
| June 5, 2026 | AFM sues UMG and Warner |
| June 11, 2026 | Lionsgate backs Runway |
| Oct. 22, 2026 | AFM launches pay drive |
Who Actually Gets the Cut
Count the deals and a pattern holds. Three of the five, Universal's with Udio, Warner's with Udio and Warner's with Suno, promise artists and songwriters a share of future revenue. Two, Lionsgate's catalog license and its equity stake in Runway, promise zero share to any individual performer. All five keep the number private.
3 of 5 AI Deals in This Piece Promise an Undisclosed Cut
Whether each of the piece's five AI licensing deals names a performer revenue share, 2024 to 2026
The blue slice is the three deals that promise performers a share with the number left out. The gray slice is the two that leave performers out of the revenue language entirely.
Sources: Lionsgate Investor Relations [1]; Runway [2]; Universal Music Group [8]; TechCrunch [9]; Warner Music Group [10]. Chart by Ryan Elliott Dennis.
The numbers behind this chart
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Promise a share, number left out | 3 |
| Leave performers out | 2 |
| Whole | 5 |
Warner's chief executive calls that progress. "This landmark pact with Suno is a victory for the creative community that benefits everyone," Robert Kyncl said when the Suno deal closed10.
The American Federation of Musicians disagrees. It sued Universal and Warner in New York's Southern District over exactly this question, on June 5, 202612.
Tino Gagliardi leads the union. The labels, he said, "cannot pocket profits built on the backs of human artistry while cutting working musicians out of the equation"13. His members played on the recordings that trained Suno and Udio. Their own contracts stay silent on this exact use.
Both claims can be true. A label can share revenue with the artists and songwriters it signs. Its contract with the session musician who played the bass line can stay silent on AI entirely.
What to do
Read the deal before the press release. A studio's or label's announcement names the AI company and the catalog; it rarely names a percentage. Ask an agent or a union rep whether a specific contract covers AI training and AI-generated output. A company's claim that it cares about artists answers a different question.
Track where you or your union sits in the chain. A featured performer under a current SAG-AFTRA or AFM contract holds more leverage than a session player under an older one. That gap is exactly where the AFM's lawsuit lives.
By the numbers
- $9 billion: Suno's potential exposure under the labels' amended complaint naming 61,026 recordings, at the standard $150,000-per-work statutory rate11.
- 20,000 titles: the size of Lionsgate's catalog licensed to Runway starting Sept. 18, 20241.
- 28 voices: launched on ElevenLabs' Iconic Voice Marketplace on Nov. 12, 2025, Michael Caine's among them5.
- $150,000: the per-work damages Disney, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery are seeking from MiniMax7.
- Three of five: the AI licensing deals in this piece that promise performers a revenue share, with the rate kept private8910.
- 93: James Earl Jones's age when he died, two years after signing over his Darth Vader voice4.
What to watch
Sony Music is pushing its cases against Suno and Udio toward a courtroom ruling11. A decision on fair use would set the price the private deals left blank. Watch whether Universal or Warner publishes an actual percentage once Suno's licensed platform launches in 2026. The AFM's suit tests whether an old contract reaches a use it predates.
Sources
- Lionsgate, "Runway Partners with Lionsgate in First-of-its-Kind AI Collaboration," Lionsgate Investor Relations, Sept. 18, 2024, https://investors.lionsgate.com/news-events/news/news-details/2024/Runway-Partners-with-Lionsgate-in-First-of-its-Kind-AI-Collaboration/default.aspx
- Runway, "Runway and Lionsgate Expand Partnership," Runway, June 11, 2026, https://runway.com/news/runway-and-lionsgate-expand-partnership
- Engadget staff, "An AI program voiced Darth Vader in 'Obi-Wan Kenobi' so James Earl Jones could finally retire," Engadget, Sept. 26, 2022, https://www.engadget.com/james-earl-jones-retires-darth-vader-ai-201559553.html
- Al Jazeera staff, "James Earl Jones, actor and voice of Darth Vader, has died aged 93," Al Jazeera, Sept. 10, 2024, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/9/10/james-earl-jones-actor-and-voice-of-darth-vader-has-died-aged-93
- The Decoder staff, "ElevenLabs opens a marketplace for iconic AI voices," The Decoder, Nov. 12, 2025, https://the-decoder.com/elevenlabs-opens-a-marketplace-for-iconic-ai-voices/
- Fox Business staff, "SAG-AFTRA condemns AI synthetic performers after artificial actress goes viral," Fox Business, Oct. 1, 2025, https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/sag-aftra-condemns-ai-synthetic-performers-after-artificial-actress-goes-viral
- CoinGeek staff, "Disney, Universal, Warner Bros hit China's MiniMax AI with suit," CoinGeek, Sept. 17, 2025, https://coingeek.com/disney-universal-warner-bros-hit-china-minimax-ai-with-suit/
- Universal Music Group, "Universal Music Group and Udio Announce Udio's First Strategic Agreements for New Licensed AI Music Creation Platform," Universal Music Group, Oct. 29, 2025, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/universal-music-group-and-udio-announce-udios-first-strategic-agreements-for-new-licensed-ai-music-creation-platform-302599129.html
- TechCrunch staff, "Warner Music settles copyright lawsuit with Udio, signs deal for AI music platform," TechCrunch, Nov. 19, 2025, https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/19/warner-music-settles-copyright-lawsuit-with-udio-signs-deal-for-ai-music-platform/
- Warner Music Group, "Warner Music Group and Suno Forge Groundbreaking Partnership," Warner Music Group, Nov. 25, 2025, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/warner-music-group-and-suno-forge-groundbreaking-partnership-302626017.html
- Tech Times staff, "AI Music Copyright Lawsuit: Suno Discovery Shows Millions of Songs, July Ruling Nears," Tech Times, June 16, 2026, https://www.techtimes.com/articles/318471/20260616/ai-music-copyright-lawsuit-suno-discovery-shows-millions-songs-july-ruling-nears.htm
- Resident Advisor staff, "Music union sues Universal and Warner over AI licensing revenues," Resident Advisor, June 5, 2026, https://ra.co/news/85354
- Hypebot staff, "AFM Launches 'Human Made, Human Paid' AI Music Campaign," Hypebot, Oct. 22, 2026, https://www.hypebot.com/afm-launches-human-made-human-paid-ai-music-campaign/